Texas's Dan Patrick vows to keep fighting against THC after Abbott vetoes ban
In a statement Monday night, Abbott appeared open to a ban on 'synthetic' cannabinoids — an olive branch in the escalating war of words with Patrick.
The statement from Abbott's office indicated his support for banning Delta-8, Delta-10 and other lab-created or modified variants of Delta-9 THC, the naturally-occurring psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, Patrick wrote on X.
Patrick said his staff would collaborate with Abbott to 'quickly pass a bill to ban all synthetic THC' when the legislature returns for the special session Abbott has called for late July
It marked a slight climb down from Patrick's blistering and often meandering press release on Monday, where he blasted Abbot's agenda as a proposal 'for us to legalize marijuana in Texas — by regulating it.'
In that conference, Patrick reaffirmed his opposition to cannabis legalization, accusing the state's thousands of dispensaries of being fronts for drug cartels and terrorism.
He also offered a personal criticism of Abbott, whom he accused of 'parachuting' in at the last minute to veto a law to which, Patrick said, he has offered no prior objection.
The industry said this week it would welcome more regulations.
The rift between the state's top Republicans broke out after Abbott's last minute decision Sunday to veto Senate Bill 3, a full ban of the state's multibillion dollar recreational cannabis industry.
In his veto statement, Abbott argued that the law, which Patrick effectively held the legislative budget hostage to pass, was likely to be thrown out by federal judges as a direct challenge to federal supremacy on 'hemp.'
While 'hemp' and 'marijuana' are effectively the same plant, hemp — a term of art for non-psychoactive cannabis — has been federally legal since 2018.
The measure opened a gap in decades of federal cannabis policy through which a multibillion dollar grey-market industry has poured — with Texas as one of its key nodes.
Hemp has become an imprtant cash crop in the five years since Texas set up its own program, and family farmers were a key constituency arguing against the ban and pressing Abbott for a veto.
In the press conference, Patrick argued that virtually all Republicans in the state legislature had supported S.B. 3. But civil society group Texas Watch argued many had little choice.
State Rep. Wes Virdell (R), who both voted for S.B. 3 and praised Abbott for the veto, acknowledged to The Texas Tribune the tough situation legislators were in.
'Folks are mad at me for voting for SB 3 and folks will be mad at me for supporting the veto,' Virdell told the Tribune. 'Unfortunately, politics is more than just policy and not everybody knows how the sausage gets made.'
In his Monday press conference, Patrick insisted the ban was a matter of principle.
'I am not mad at the governor, but I am not going to legalize marijuana in Texas,' Patrick said.
'And if people want to vote me out of office, so be it.'
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